The New England Patriots were quite busy on Saturday. Not only did they hold their first practice of this year’s training camp and finally break the contract stalemate with second-round draft pick Gabe Jacas, they also made some roster moves: wide receiver Kobe Prentice was claimed after getting waived by the Panthers, while waiving offensive tackle Sebastian Gutierrez in a follow-up transaction.
Let’s analyze what the moves mean for the club.
More speed
Checking in at 5-foot-10, 184 pounds, Prentice is not the
most physically imposing player. Where he wins and was able to produce a 26-catch, 380-yard, six-touchdown season during his senior year at Baylor, is due to his speed. His 14.6 yards per reception already suggest it: he can get down the field in a hurry.
In fact, the 4.37-second 40-yard dash he ran at his Pro Day would have ranked him sixth among wide receivers at the Scouting Combine this year. Overall, it ranks him in the 96th percentile among all wideout prospects over the last 40 years.
Another slot
New England waived fellow another rookie wide receiver, Jimmy Kibble, with an injury designation on Friday (and he has since reverted to the club’s injured reserve). However, Prentice is not the same type of player: whereas Kibble projected as more of a Z-receiver in the NFL, the newest Patriot was a slot in college and will be a slot as a pro.
As such, he will mostly provide depth behind the club’s current top slot, DeMario Douglas. In total, 12 wide receivers are now under contract in New England:
Wide receiver (12): A.J. Brown (1), Romeo Doubs (87), DeMario Douglas (3), Kayshon Boutte (9), Mack Hollins (13), Kyle Williams (18), Efton Chism III (86), Jeremiah Webb (29), Kyle Dixon (83), Nick DeGennaro (23), Cameron Dorner (88), Kobe Prentice (—)
IR (1): Jimmy Kibble
Prentice will be facing an uphill climb to make the roster, especially as part of a deep wide receiver group. What might help his chanced would be the kicking game, but he played no special teams snaps in college.
OT depth intact
Even though Gutierrez is now on to the waiver wire, the Patriots have plenty of depth at the offensive tackle position. Seven players remain signed at the spot, including three who can be considered roster locks: starters Will Campbell and Morgan Moses as well as first-round rookie Caleb Lomu.
Offensive tackle (7): Will Campbell (66 | LT), Morgan Moses (76 | RT), Caleb Lomu (74), James Hudson III (51), Marcus Bryant (52), Lorenz Metz (72), Dametrious Crownover (68)
During Saturday’s practice, which might not necessarily be an accurate reflection of the pecking order, the Patriots used both James Hudson and Marcus Bryant as the next men up behind the top three. Gutierrez, meanwhile, ran with the depth players as he did all spring.
His release did therefore not come as a surprise, even if it means that Minot State now has no players on an active NFL roster at the moment.
No cap impact
We covered several Patriots transactions over the last week, and they all had one thing in common: they did not impact New England’s salary cap in any way. Today’s are no exception.
Gutierrez was on a one-year, $1.08 million deal that was no high enough to qualify for Top 51 status and included no guarantees of any kind. Prentice’s UDFA deal with the Panthers did include a $15,000 signing bonus prorated over three years, but that money will remain in Carolina; what transfers to New England is his non-guaranteed salaries including $885,000 in 2026.
The Patriots therefore are still $34.2 million under the cap right now.
